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When A Co-Worker Takes Credit For Your Work

Do you know what to do if a co-worker takes credit for your work? (Photo credit: Microsoft Free Clip Art)

“I can’t believe he presented my work as his own! He didn’t even acknowledge that it was my work. It was even my PowerPoint presentation he used!” moaned a career-coaching client. “Now what am I going to do? And what if he does this to me again?” she added.

Unfortunately, this situation is not unusual if you work in corporate America. Try asking 10 friends who work for large, global companies and I’ll bet at least half of them have had someone else try to take credit for their work or ideas at some point in their careers.

Wondering about the best way to handle it without turning something negative into an even worse issue? How you handle the situation of someone else trying to take credit for your work depends on two main factors: who the person is and how egregious the credit taking that occurred.

Let’s look at two types of situations when a co-worker tries to take credit for your work. The first example provides tips for handling what I’ll call the “low key” situations and the second example includes tips for dealing with bigger issues of credit stealing.

Co-worker/low key situation

If a co-worker took credit for your work but what they took credit for was fairly low-key (such as leaving your name off the list of project participants or not including you on the email distribution list for work they completed with you), then the solution may be as simple as sitting down with the co-worker to understand what happened and why they behaved the way they did.

In this type of situation it is best to go immediately to the person and resolve the situation directly with them because sometimes it can be a simple oversight on their part. Gain their agreement that this will never happen in the future.

Depending on how your co-worker reacts to the discussion, you may also want to let them know that, if it does happen again, you will need to escalate the situation to your manager.

Co-worker/bigger issue

If the co-worker took credit for something that is a big deal (such as presenting your ideas for a new product or promotion and passing the ideas off as their own, or, using a presentation, report, or business plan you had created but changing your name to theirs and taking credit for your work), in addition to immediately speaking with the credit stealer (as mentioned above), it’s important to also have a confidential discussion with your manager about the situation.

Remain calm and avoid whining or finger pointing when you speak with your manager. You are there to make them aware of what happened so they can help prevent this situation from occurring in the future. Be prepared to rationally explain what happened and how you handled the situation with your co-worker.

In addition, try to come to the meeting with your manager with evidence that demonstrates you were the person with the idea or who did the work so your manager will have concrete information to work from when they deal directly with the credit stealing co-worker.

I can personally attest to the fact that it’s not fun to be caught in the situation of having to deal with a credit stealing co-worker, but it’s imperative that women in business deal with the issue immediately after it has occurred.

Dealing with it may be difficult, but it puts the person on notice that you know what they did and lets them know you won’t stand for that type of behavior in the future. Not dealing with it gives free reign for the co-worker to continue their unethical behavior – and they could potentially end up sabotaging your career. So ladies…no matter how hard it is, stand up for what is right and protect your work and your ideas.

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I usually experience this issue two or three times a year. This is where, for example, my detailed idea for a strategic initiative is presented by another, without any reference as to where the idea came from. But then that’s part of my role.

It seems that taking credit is a ‘passive’ career building tactic. You rely on others to take notice, keep track records, etc. Whereas I prefer to actively use my ideas within my own business projects.

Hudson, thanks for sharing your experience with credit stealing co-workers. I agree with your comment that credit taking “is a ‘passive’ career building tactic” and that it is a much better and more ethical approach to actively use your own ideas.

Lisa I tried escalating to my boss about my co-worker constantly taking credit my work. My boss rather than investigate into the matter has chosen to support him and says it’s ok for him to do so.. Your article is my story. This has become a recurring habit and it only affected my morale and my core strength. Any suggestions.

It’s unfortunate that a co-worker has been taking credit for your work and your manager is refusing to investigate the matter. You didn’t specifically state what the co-worker is taking credit for, so I’m going to assume that it is for important aspects of your work, such as ideas, presentations, project success or something else substantial.

You mentioned you spoke to your boss about the situation but, you didn’t state whether or not you confronted this co-worker about his behavior. You might consider observing this co-worker and others in the department to see if he is behaving this way with others. It is rare for unethical behavior to be an isolated incident; it is more common for unethical behavior to be a pattern over time – so I wouldn’t be surprised if he is also taking credit for other people’s work.

Document every instance where this unethical co-worker has been taking credit for your work. If you observe he’s done this to others, speak with those co-workers. It becomes harder for an employee behaving badly to do so when many employees work together to stop the person. At a minimum, you should speak directly to this co-worker about his unethical behavior. Even better would be you and 2 or 3 other employees he’s also hurt.

If that still doesn’t stop his bad behavior, go with your co-workers and have another discussion with your boss so he/she can hear from everyone how the unethical behavior is negatively impacting the department. If you boss still refuses to handle the situation, go with your co-workers to HR (armed with documentation of all the instances of unethical behavior) and in a highly professional manner, provide HR with the situation and information.

Finally, never let someone else’s poor behavior negatively affect your morale or core strength. It is your choice to either allow their behavior to negatively affect you or take a stand to make their behavior stop (or to ignore it) and thus maintain your integrity and inner strength. Right now, you’re allowing this co-worker to control your emotions – don’t give them this kind of power as they don’t deserve it!

I have an odd situation. My boss and her hench-men or rather hench-ladies will solicit information from you as it relates to your expertise, ask you to develop a plan, presentation, or significant document that requires a tremendous amount of time and effort to produce only to have it hit the back burner when it comes time to present. Your work will sit silently for months only to resurface with someone else’s name attached to it.

This is only perpetrated upon certain individuals within our department. Typically, those that are more knowledgeable and experienced than their co-workers that are seeking to climb the corporate ladder. When confronted, these individuals including our boss they will deny ever asking us to produce the work or knowing anything about it.

This is like someone secretly copying your homework or stealing your term paper and submitting it as their own before you had a chance to turn it in – no one is going to admit it. When collaboration and presenting ideas and opinions is such an important aspect of functioning successfully in the corporate world how do you continue to contribute without being cannibalized by your boss and co-workers? Who are these bottom feeders??? My teenage son suggested that during my next presentation that I present only one slide that states “F-U your not stealing my ideas” and calmly return to my seat. I think he will do fine in the corporate jungle.

Thanks for sharing your story! I’m sorry to hear about your situation with the credit-stealing boss and her “hench-ladies.” Unfortunately, it seems there will always be people in the world who lack character, ethics and integrity – and there are times I wish I could whack these people upside their heads for their stupidity (like your boss).

Since whacking your boss on her head (or implementing your son’s suggestion) aren’t the best routes, here’s another suggestion. Create a “Project List” where you keep track of all your projects, including those requested by your boss and her hench-ladies.

This can be a simple Excel document where you list the name of the project or assigned/requested work in one column, the description of the work in the second column, the specific deliverables in the third column, and any due date(s) in another column. To visually signify progress, include a column to color code your progress using green (on track), blue (complete), yellow (issues arising), and red (need help). In your situation, you might also want to include a final column for “Notes.”

The next time your boss (or her hench-ladies) come to you and “ask you to develop a plan, presentation, or significant document that requires a tremendous amount of time and effort”, in your most professional sounding voice, question her/them for all the specifics of the project while you calmly type the information into your project sheet.

If you don’t have time to work the additional project into your current workload, very sweetly and politely ask your boss to help you re-prioritize some of your other projects to meet this new project deadline (and type these notes into your spreadsheet as to why you’re moving any other projects around).

Use your Project List as the basis of your emailed work updates to your boss. Work updates to your boss should take place at a minimum of once a month and you should include your Project List document as an email attachment – so you’ll have written proof of your projects, if ever needed.

Use this Project List document each time you meet with your boss, so she realizes that you keep track of every project assigned to you to complete and that there’s a written record of everything. You can also include this document in your annual self-evaluation and performance appraisals as a way of demonstrating your value to the department/company (and as proof that you were the one who produced certain presentations, plans, documents, etc.).

Once you’ve mastered this technique, teach it to the others in your department upon whom your boss and her hench-ladies perpetrate their credit stealing ways. Remember that old saying, “United we stand, divided we fall”? The same holds true in your situation. Train the others in your department (the ones with integrity, that is) how to track their projects and ensure all of you are backing each other up and questioning the use of presentations, plans and documents when someone takes credit for work that isn’t theirs.

On the positive side, there’s a unique karma in the universe where people exponentially get back what they put out to the world. In the case of your boss (and her hench-ladies), it looks like they’ll be getting back a whole lot of bad karma in the future for their current lack of integrity and evil ways of operating!

Recently my boss hired a ‘friend’. This friend takes credit for my work or talks over me quite often in meetings. He also enters my office from his cube when I am in a meeting that he believes he should be in. I can not go to my boss because he is her friend. So I have started withholding information. Not good for the company but I am tired of his stuff.

I am having this problem, but in a mild form. I have a co-worker, who is hell bent on making himself look good and doing everything in his power to keep his job security which I have no problem as long as it doesn’t effect me. We are both working on the same project, but in completely different areas. My problem with him, is that if we are answering questions about this project to someone or to an audience at work, and the question is clearly focused on my area. He jumps the gun to try to answer the question as if he is the expert in the matter at hand when he barely even knows what he is talking about. This is not that big of a deal to me, but here is where it gets to the point of crossing the line. He uses the word “we” when he should be using the word “myname” built the “my feature” so that it could assist in X. He has done this multiple times. I know that he wants credit, but he doesn’t deserve it. Also, it takes away from my reputation, since I do not receive full credit for my work at work. I would never try to take credit for someone else’s work.

Another problem I have is that he talks down to me, as if I am needing his assistance, when I don’t ask for help, and when I am already doing an extremely effective and efficient job. It is all just a show, for anyone that may be listening in.

Finally, he is making twice the hourly pay as me. He told me. I know he has 5 years in the specific field, but I have 2 years in this specific field and 8 right outside this field. Is it time to negotiate a raise for myself seeing that someone else in the company that doesn’t produce half as much as I, is making twice as much money? Is that a sign? Would it be greedy if I asked my contracting company to pay me 80% of what this guy’s contracting company is paying him? Also, there are other people, that from what I can tell, are doing pretty pretty well at the same company(not the contracting company, but the company I am contracted to), doing the same thing.

It sounds like you have not yet sat down with your co-worker to discuss your issues with him (his unacceptable behavior). Try following the recommendations in my blog and see how it works. Until you put him on notice that you see what he’s doing, he thinks he can get away with his behavior.

As to your comment that he told you he is making twice the hourly pay as you, be careful believing him. Most people who are so unethical as to take credit for others’ work are usually also braggarts who tend to exaggerate a lot. It would not surprise me if he exaggerated what he’s really making in an effort to demonstrate his believed superiority over you, just as you mentioned that he talks down to you. Insecure people sometimes feel the need to put others down in order to make themselves feel better/greater.

Remember, just like with children, even adults sometimes need to be reminded when their behavior crosses the line of acceptability.

Imagine a group of 10 employees who are all in a room chatting about improvements. If my problem arises in this setting, I would like a swift and effective punishment to deliver that wouldn’t make me look like the aggressor. But then again, I see that this could be extremely difficult and I could be falling into a trap of his. I can imagine if I call him out in front of people, that he will act like this is the first time he has done this, and claim that he has misspoken, and then I will look like a jackass for calling him out on it. So if I confront him in front of other people or if let him get away with it in front of other people, he has the settings rigged to his advantage either way. The only other options are to not confront him(confront the manager), or to confront him in a private without anyone else noticing. The straight to the manager method may be over the top, and the manager may view me as a tattle tale cry baby since it isn’t a major issue. I am left with no other options. I have to confront him away from everyone or else I loose. I see. He must have figured this scenario out, and gotten away with it so many times that the reward is reinforcing his behavior. This is a tough one, because out of 4 possible actions(no action, manager, public confrontation, private confrontation) on my behalf, there is only one of them which I break even. There is no possible action on my behalf in which I can be rewarded back with my thunder that has been stolen thus far. And for him, there are no repercussions for his actions, except to be privately punished. He got a public reward for my knowledge in front of other people, but he only gets punished in front of one person. He still wins. I guess I will have to think of him as a thief that broke in, but that didn’t get caught, and I will have to just suit up with better locks (I will have to be preventative with a private talk, rather than swift with an immediate public talk). Do I have it right?